Fly-trap.



E. LAMPBL.

Patented July 8, 1913.

t1/Lewes UNTED STATES PATENT tllillillll.

EDWARD LAMPEL, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FLY-TRAP.

Application filed March 4, 1912.

To all 'whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD LaMrnL, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco7 in the county of San Francisco and State ot California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fly- Traps; and I do declare the i'ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invent-ion relates to window screens, and more especially to those that are ex tensible; and the object ot' the invention is to produce a trap oi this kind which can be secured to any suitable upright but more particularly to a pane of glass or to a ily screen so that flies on one or both sides ot the same can be caught.

A further object is to render the device telescopic or extensible to adapt it to screens oit different widths or to screens which are themselves extensible.

These and other objects are accomplished by the construction hereinafter more t'ully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is an elevation of one member or part of my improved trap, showing the same as hanging against the inner face of a windowI pane and supported by the upper cross rail of its sash which latter here fills the entire width of the window frame, the trap itselt' being partly in section to illustrate its interior construction. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through a longitudinally extensible fly screen and through one oit my improved traps complete7 its parts being respectively attached to the opposite sides ot' the sections oit said screen. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the two sec tions of a similar screen where they lap each other, and through the two parts ot a telescoping trap made according to my invention, illustrating` how its sections may both be located at one side ot the screen. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the movable closure at one end of the trap.

In the drawings the letter P designates a pane ot glass such as usually extends the 'nll width of a window frame, and the letter S designates a window screen herein purposely shown and described as of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1913.

Serial No. 681,359.

telescopic variety intended to be put in place within a window l'rame beneath a raised sash.

lt is the purpose of the present invention to produce a fly trap capable of being hung in contact with the inner face of the window pane or screen so as to catch the [lies which are attracted to either by the light. or possibly capable of being attached to both sides of the screen, especially il the latter should happen to stand between two compartments as in the case of a screen door. The trap itselilf is made mostly et wire netting so that it will not interrupt the passage oil light through it, nor the passage oit breeze through it in case it is applied to a screem but its exact dimensions, proportions and materials are unimportant excepting as hereinafter more fully described in detail.

lVhat might be called the back of each member or part ot the trap is a flat strip of wire netting 1 perhaps two or three inches wide, intended to stand upright and rest against the window pane or `fly screen and to extend across the same as shown; the top 2 is a similar strip of netting probably somewhat narrower than the first and will doubtless be formed by bending the first-mentioned strip forward and dovvnward; in similar manner, the front is a narrow upright strip 3 extending downward trom the inner edge of the top 2 and preferably parallel with the back l; and linally the bottom 4L is another narrow* strip extending from the lower edge of the front 3 inward toward the back l, but spaced therefrom alongI the bottom ot the trap so as to leave an inlet slot By preference the tree edge of the bottom 4lj adjacent and beneath said slot is stillened by a solid metal strip (S. ldithin the tubular body thus 'termed is disposed what might be called a t'alse bottom 7 extending' Jfrom the front to the back and secured to both7 and of inverted V-shape or by preference arched up between them as shown; and at intervals along the highest point of the arch are openings or slots 8 around which the material oit the wire netting is struck upward as shown. .All parts thus :far described are continued throughout the length of the tra to the end members which may be soliti or of netting as desired, one or both of them having a large opening 10 closed by a pivoted gate 1l through which the trapped flies may be removed from time to time. Any suitable means may be employed for sup aorting this trap against a window pane or i y screen, but I have shown eyes 12 rising from it at intervals, and nails 18 in the sash engaging the same as typical of the support. `When this trap is hung against the inner face of a window pane or fly screen, the liies attracted thereto by the light crawl upward and enter the inlet slot 5 and pass thence up through certain of the openings S into the body of the trap, where they are caught and whence they will not escape by crawling downward; and from time t0 time the trap is detached from its support, its gate 11 opened, and the flies removed.

lt sometimes occurs that it is desirable to trap the flies on both sides of a screen, such as a screen door between two apartments; and again it sometimes occurs that it is not desirable to have a fly trap on the outer side of a screen, as where the latter is mounted in guides outside the window sash and the sashes must move up and down. My improved trap is well adapted to both these conditions by simply forming a slot 50 through the screen on a line across the same below the lower edge of the back l of the trap and also below7 the inlet slot 5 at the bottom thereof, the slot in the screen being made by the use of any suitable tool and preferably interrupted several times throughout its length so as not to weaken the entire screen. rThe trap may then be suspended against either face of the screen, and flies alighting on the latter will crawl upward either directly into the inlet slot 5 of the trap as above described, or through the slot 50 in the screen and then into the inlet 5 of the trap as also above described, and in either event they will eventually be caught within the trap. The solid metal strip 6 in this case serves as a deflector to flies crawling through the slot 50 in the screen, and which having passed through it will naturally turn upward toward the light as directed by said strip rather than downward which would permit them to escape.

It is quite possible to make this trap extensible in length by telescoping its two members or parts in a manner which is too well known to require an explanation in detail. It may be suflicient to say that the false bottom 7 of the outermost part should be removed whereas that of the innermost may be retained as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8, and one end 9 of each part should be removed; and then the two parts may be nested and telescoped as indicated in Fig. 3, especially if one be made a trifle larger than the other or be sprung open a little so that it will inclose the body of the other.

The extensible trap when so constructed will be applied to one side only of the screen or pane, and the former maybe provided with the interrupted openings 50 yas described above and the action will be the same.

It is quite possible that the two parts of the trap may be attached to the opposite faces of the two sections of an extensible window screen, as shown in figure 2, one member or part of the trap on the outside of the window and the other on the inside thereof; and this detail of arrangement will doubtless be adopted where the free edges of the wire netting in the sections of the screen are rabbeted or otherwise strengthened so that the two parts of the trap could not well be applied to the same face of the screen. f

lf the ent-ire trap is on one side of the screen it will catch the flies onthat side only unless the screen be slotted as at 50, but if the parts of the trap are disposed one on one side and one on the other side of the screen, additional end members 9 must be employed (with or without the gates) so that the flies entering either part will be trapped therein.

Thus it will be seen that I have produced an improved fly trap whose construction adapts it for use in conjunction with a window pane or screen through which the light is admitted and whereon the flies naturally accumulate a trap which is not only simple in its structure and easily and cheaply made, but one which may be attached to a window or screen without maw terial change in either, adjusted or removed as the case may require, and readily cleaned and repaired.

That is claimed as new is:

l. The combination with a window screen having a horizontally slotted body; of a iiy trap having a tubular body of wire netting comprising a flat back and a top, front and bottom, the rear edge of the latter spaced from the lower edge of the back to form an inlet, a deflecting plate of solid metal depending from said bottom forward of the inlet and curved away from said back, and means for suspending the trap with its inlet just above the slot in the screen and the plate opposite said slot, for the purpose set forth. y

2. The combination with a window screen comprising two sections adjustable over each other and having interrupted transverse slots adapted to aline with each other during such adjustments; of a fly trap made in two'tubular members adapted to telescope into each other at their inner extremities, means for closing their outer extremities, each member including a at rear wall adapted to lie against the screen aud each member having an inlet opening along the lower edge of said wall, a deflectlng plate of solid metal secured to the bottom of each my hand iu presence of two subscribing Witmember forward of said inlet opening, and messes. means for suspending the trap with its rear EDWARD LAM-PEL Wall 1n Contact Wlth sald screen so that 1ts inletopenng s disposed just above the slot Witnesses: therein and the plate is opposite such slot. F. L. Plums,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set JOHN R. TYRRELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

